The Death Relic (21 page)

‘And your baby boy?’

‘Yes.’

‘Right now, they’re safe. Well, maybe not
safe
, but they are currently free. They’ll stay that way as long as this exchange goes smoothly. If not, we’ll scoop them up quicker than you can kill me. Am I clear?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good!’ the caller said. ‘Now be a good amigo and start loading the money into the back of Hector’s
SUV
. Oh, in case you were wondering, I know all about its custom features: the armour plating, the bulletproof glass and the fuel-tank safety system. I mention that in case you think it gives you some kind of tactical advantage. Trust me, it doesn’t.’

Angel stared at Hector, and Hector stared back.

Neither man could understand how the caller knew so much.

The caller laughed at their silence. He knew he had them on the back foot. ‘Come on, Angel! Time to get moving! The money won’t load itself.’

Hector nodded his approval and Angel ran off.

The caller waited a few seconds. ‘Is he gone?’

‘Yes,’ Hector replied.

‘Despite my deterrents, I know you’ll be tempted to put up a fight at the exchange. You’re tired and stressed and thirsty for revenge. If I were you, I’d be tempted, too. But keep something in mind: the guilt you feel now will be
nothing
compared to the guilt you’ll feel if you force me to incinerate your kids. Do you understand?’

‘Yes. I understand.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes,’ he said definitively. ‘I understand.’

‘You have thirty minutes; the clock is ticking. I’ll meet you near the Mexican flag in the center of Zócalo. Do you know where that is?’

‘Yes.’

‘Don’t be late.’

Tulum, Mexico

(81 miles south of Cancún)

The drive to Tulum was a simple one. The decision on what to drive was not.

Neither vehicle was large enough to accommodate the artefacts, weapons and three people, and everyone had a different opinion on the best solution. Payne wanted to cover the items with the tarp and leave the H2 in an all-day parking lot in Cancún, but Jones and Maria thought that was too risky. Maria was most concerned about the artefacts, which she felt might provide valuable clues about Hamilton’s research. Meanwhile, Jones was focused on the weapons. He figured that if Hamilton was lugging them around for his team’s safety, maybe they should, too. Eventually, Payne got sick of arguing and made a decision for the group. They would take
both
vehicles to Tulum – if only to give himself some time alone.

Relishing the peace and quiet, Payne led the way in the Hummer. He made a single turn in Cancún, onto Federal Highway 307, then headed southwest along the coast. Jones and Maria followed a quarter of a mile behind in the
SUV
, both of them looking for potential trouble. The journey took them through a number of tourist towns, including Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, Paamul, Xel-Ha and Akumal. They stopped briefly at a beachside restaurant, where they ordered grilled fish tacos, Mexican rice and Pepsi served in old-fashioned glass bottles. For Payne, the Pepsi brought back so many childhood memories – listening to baseball games with his grandfather while drinking soda from glass bottles – that he ended up buying an entire case in a fit of nostalgia. He also loaded up on water, snacks, sunscreen and insect repellent, just in case they had to trek through the jungle to get to the ruins at Tulum.

Conversation was limited during lunch, but not because of any lingering tension. All three of them were so mesmerized by the tropical scenery that words weren’t necessary. The turquoise water, white powdery sand and warm winter sun relaxed their bodies and calmed their minds. Suddenly, the anger that had been pushing them apart temporarily drifted away. It had been replaced by a solitary goal: finding information about Hamilton.

First discovered by the Spanish in 1518, Tulum was a walled city built on top of a 39-foot bluff, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. One of the last cities occupied by the Maya, it flourished between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries and served as a port for Cobá, a major city to the northwest. Because of its position along the shore and the strength of its fortified walls, Tulum managed to survive seventy years after the Spanish occupation of Mexico. Ironically, its downfall wasn’t attributed to war, but to the Old World diseases brought by the settlers.

Once the Maya got sick, they were no match for the Spanish.

Payne and Jones parked their vehicles on opposite sides of the parking lot and met outside the visitor centre, which sat near the western wall of the city. Maria bought a map of the site and a guidebook of the region, hoping to increase her knowledge of Mayan Civilization. She figured the more she knew about the Maya, the better. Before she left the centre, she asked the clerk if he was familiar with Dr Hamilton. She even pulled out her phone and showed him a photo she had downloaded from the Internet, but the clerk didn’t recognize him.

Maria thanked him, then headed outside.

‘Any luck?’ Jones asked her.

‘No. Not that I was expecting any. I know this is a long shot at best.’

‘Better than sitting around the hotel, waiting for a call from Randy. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see this place.’

She studied his face, trying to gauge his sincerity. ‘You’re familiar with Tulum?’

He nodded. ‘Of course I’m familiar with Tulum. Isn’t everybody?’

Payne grimaced. ‘I’m not.’

‘Actually, you are,’ Jones assured him. ‘They filmed that movie here. You know, the one with Jeff Bridges and James Woods. Both of them fall in love with the same brunette.’

‘Sorry. Not ringing any bells.’

‘We watched it on cable last month.’

‘We did?’

‘Bridges is a football player who gets hurt and comes down here to find her. Alex Karras is a bad guy. Phil Collins sang the title song … Crap, what was it called?’

Maria supplied the answer. ‘
Against All Odds
.’

‘Yes!’ Jones blurted. ‘
Against All Odds
. Thank you for remembering. That would have driven me crazy.’

‘Actually, I’ve never seen it,’ she said.

‘Then how did you know the name?’

She held up a brochure. It featured a screenshot of the movie showing a shirtless Jeff Bridges and a scantily clad Rachel Ward making out in the Caribbean surf, along with a proclamation in Spanish and English that
Against All Odds
was filmed here in the early 1980s.

Payne pointed at the photo. ‘Now I remember it. Those two did it in the ruins.’

She glanced at the image. ‘Really?’

Jones nodded. ‘Oh, yeah. They were “researching the Maya”.’

Maria laughed at the term he had coined earlier that morning. ‘Apparently, I chose the wrong field of study. Researching the Vatican is not nearly as sexy.’

Jones scrunched up his face. ‘It
really
isn’t.’

The roar of an engine and the squealing of heavy brakes caught their attention. They turned and spotted two large tour buses pulling into the parking lot. A tour guide hopped out first, followed by dozens of people from all parts of the globe. Wanting to beat the crowd, Payne, Jones and Maria hustled through the main gate and entered the Pre-Columbian city before they got caught up in a stampede of tourists.

Named after the Mayan word for wall, Tulum is one of the most scenic sites in the Caribbean and the third most-visited archaeological site in Mexico. Protected by steep cliffs to the east, the city was guarded by massive walls to the north, south and west. They were made from large stones excavated from a nearby quarry. During the city’s heyday, its walls averaged 13 feet in height and over 20 feet in width. The largest of these was the western wall. Nearly 1,300 feet in length, it took years to build and ran parallel to the coastline. For additional safety, guard towers were installed in the northwest and southwest corners of the city, high above the walls that protected the northern and southern flanks. These two walls, approximately 560 feet in length, had narrow gates that allowed people to enter and exit the city.

At least that used to be the case.

Now the walls were barely there.

Centuries of erosion and neglect had reduced the mighty barricades to rubble. Though a few sections were still standing, the once-impenetrable fortress was a shadow of its former self. And yet, there was an unmistakable magic about the place. Payne felt it as he walked along the dirt path, snaking his way past the crumbling palaces and temples. He sensed it when the wind whipped through the palm trees that dotted the terrain and ruffled his hair. And he saw it when he stared at El Castillo, the main building on the site. Rising high above the other structures, the ‘castle’ was situated against the cliffs to the east. Outlined by the blue sky and turquoise sea, the grey stones seemed to glow in the afternoon sun.

Payne stopped and stared in amazement. Having circled the globe on several occasions, he struggled to remember the last time he’d seen something as breathtaking as Tulum – the ruins and the sea were a startling combination.

Maria noticed the look on his face and sidled up to him. ‘Pretty impressive.’

He nodded. ‘It sure is.’

‘Amazingly, the Maya built this place more than a century before Columbus arrived. Imagine how startling it must have been for the Spanish when they spotted Tulum from the sea. They were expecting a land full of savages. They found this instead.’

Payne smiled at the notion. ‘They probably shit their pants. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than bad reconnaissance – especially that far from home. Without the proper supplies, they had no choice but to go forward. Maybe make some allies and hope for the best.’

Maria pointed at El Castillo. ‘Notice the rounded columns and the clean line of the stairs. They did all of that without metal tools.’

‘Really? How’d they cut the stone?’

‘According to this guidebook, they used obsidian.’

‘Obsidian? Isn’t that glass?’

She nodded. ‘Volcanic glass. They also used it for weapons. Their swords were made of wood, but the blades were made from obsidian.’

He glanced at the book in her hand. ‘Is there a picture in there? I’d love to see what they looked like.’

‘Sorry, no picture. But Hamilton might have one.’

‘A sword?’

‘Maybe. But I was talking about a picture.’

Payne grunted and returned his gaze to the architecture. Without the precision of metal tools, the Maya had accomplished some amazing things. ‘For the record, I’d love to get my hands on a Mayan sword. I have a collection of ancient weapons, but nothing from this region.’

‘Really? I didn’t know that,’ she fibbed. In truth, Jones had told her all about the collection during their drive to Tulum and had encouraged her to bring it up. It was his attempt to give Payne and Maria something to talk about other than their mutual frustration. ‘I’ll tell you what I’m willing to do. If you help me find Hamilton, I’ll try to make that happen.’

Payne smiled, even though he sensed that Jones had put her up to it. But in his mind, that didn’t matter. At least she was trying.

Tiffany had heard horror stories about the way women were treated in Mexico City. She knew females were groped so often on the Metro that a third of the carriages were designated ‘women-only’ during rush hour – a rule that was enforced by armed guards. She also knew that women were abducted so frequently in the Federal District that the government approved the use of ‘pink taxis’, a fleet of pink cars driven
by
women
for
women, which were equipped with safety locks and alarm buttons. And yet here she was, a ‘lowly’ woman, ready to rip off the most powerful criminal in the region.

The irony of the situation made her smile.

Wearing oversized sunglasses and a floppy white hat that kept her red hair hidden, Tiffany was confident no one would suspect her of anything as she strolled through the busy plaza. Here, amongst the tourists, she was just another face in the crowd. The rest of her crew blended in as well. Her point man was sitting on a bench in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral where he was able to keep his eyes on traffic from the east. They had mapped out the most direct route from Hector’s house, so they knew this was the road he was likely to take to the Zócalo.

Meanwhile, the explosives expert was positioned high above the plaza to the west. He monitored action from the rooftop restaurant on the Portal de Mercaderes building. From his elevated vantage point, he had a bird’s-eye view of the square, which would allow him to call out possible threats via their radio earpieces. In addition, he would be able to judge the best moment to ignite his devices, using a laptop computer that sat next to his lunch. The programme on his screen was designed to look like a Sudoku puzzle. In reality the numbers corresponded with garbage cans in the plaza. He could ignite them together, in rows, or individually.

It all depended on the events below.

To keep their names off the airwaves, every member of the team was given a codename that corresponded with the role they would play. The man by the cathedral was called ‘Church’. The explosives expert was called ‘Boom’. And Tiffany was called ‘Red’. In a life-or-death mission, names didn’t have to be creative; they needed to be memorable.

On the drive to the plaza, Angel tried to call his wife to warn her about the threat, but his call wouldn’t go through. He hung up and frantically tried to call her sister instead. Unfortunately, that call died as well. In fact, every call Angel and Hector tried to make from the
SUV
died as soon as they hit ‘send’. Why? Because Tiffany’s crew had installed a mobile-phone jammer in Hector’s vehicle on the night they had abducted his children.

Tiffany hadn’t activated the device until the final ransom call had been made, but now that it was turned on, any mobile phone inside the
SUV
wouldn’t be able to get a signal because of radio spectrum interference. Not only would it prevent Angel from warning his wife, it would prevent them from calling in reinforcements to meet them at the Zócalo. Of course, the downside was they would be unable to contact her if something went horribly wrong and they were involved in an accident or blew a tyre, etc., which is why she had a car following Hector’s
SUV
, just in case.